I'm Here
by AntiChrist18
Summary: Casey catches the horrible stomach virus going around and depends on her friend Alex to care for her. Or well, who she thought was just a friend. What happens when romantic feelings make themselves known. Calex! Multi-chapter.
1. Chapter 1

My cell buzzes from where I dropped it on Olivia's desk and I sigh, turning back to pick it up. I bite my lip seeing the caller ID, Liz, I really want to go for this lunch with Liv so if she has more work for me I swear to God-

"Liz, hi, everything okay?" I ask my voice sounding much chirpier than I feel- Olivia is my best friend (well, her and of course Casey) and I feel like we haven't talked about anything besides work in ages. I was really looking forward to lunch

I notices Olivia's eyes meet mine when I start speaking to Liz, she obviously realizes the same thing as me- our catch up lunch is not happening today.

"Actually Alex, things aren't. I have Casey here, who's nearly unconscious in my office. She's running a fever, I had to give her a trash can to throw up into- I know you're friendly with her, is there anyway you'd be able to take her home and make sure she's okay? I don't think she's too comfortable with me doing it"

I nod, despite being on the phone "Y-Yeah Liz that's not a problem- i-is she okay? She doesn't need to go to the ER or anything does she?"

I'm worried, scared for the redhead. She's a colleague, a friend- the object of my desires. Yeah, I tend not to mention the latter. The idea of her sounding so ill though concerns me.

"No, I don't think she needs the ER right now Alex, maybe tomorrow if there's no sign of improvement" our boss tells me and I hear Casey groan something that sounds a lot like my name in the background

"I'm on my way Liz, I'll be there in about ten minutes"

Let's face it, I'll run if I have to.

"Alex?!" Olivia asks me as I turn to rush from the squad room and I turn back, an apologetic look on my face

"Liv, I'm so sorry! Liz said Casey's really not well, she's nearly passed out over there and she's asked me to look after her- we'll definitely have lunch okay, this week! Now, I'm sorry but I have to go-"

I don't wait for her reply, I turn on my heel and race from the precinct. Things with Casey really don't sound good and I should be there for her- even if she doesn't think of me in the way I think of her, I need to look after her- I don't exactly know for a fact she doesn't think of me in 'that' way, but she's straight, I think.. anyway, I couldn't mess up our friendship.

After what's considered a lightning speed drive through the city streets I'm at our offices. I literally sprint in the doors of the courthouse and up to where the pair are. I swing the door open, panting slightly from my race up three floors but I wasn't waiting for a damn elevator

"Liz! How is she?" I bypass the older blonde, looking to Casey who's curled up on the brown leather couch clutching her stomach and the contrasting colours of brown and deathly pale startle me. She looks terrible.

"Not good Alex-"

I drop to my knees beside the couch in Casey's line of sight and she mumbles my name weakly.

"Hey Case" I offer her a warm smile "I think I need to get you home"

"Please" she almost begs me and I realize how horrendous she must actually feel, Casey Novak would never willing leave work this easily- she'd put up some sort of fight- claiming she has paperwork to catch up on, anything. I need to get her some aspirin or something, shes really sick.

"Okay Case, I have my car, I'll take you. You think you could walk to the elevator?" It's a long shot, right now the woman looks so physically drained I doubt she can sit up never mind walk.

She nods weakly and I shake my head, well she's determined. Liz and I both attempt to get her onto her feet, to no avail. After her fourth unsuccessful attempt I stop and lean close to her "Case, put your arms around my neck"

"-Alex what are you doing? Are you actually going to carry her out of here-" Liz asks from behind me and I look up to her, raising an eyebrow

"How do you suggest I get her to my car? She's weak, I think this is my best option" I snap, becoming defensive of my decision, I just want Casey to be as undisturbed as possible, making her walk- even to the elevator, would be too much.

Liz raises her hands in defeat and backs up a little as I hoist Casey into my arms. She's not as heavy as I was expecting a grown woman to weigh, luckily. It'd be a long walk if she was heavy.

Casey's head buries against my neck and as she lets out slow, rhythmic breaths against my neck, I curse myself for my train of thought. The feeling of her breaths hitting my exposed skin made me wonder what waking up with her nestled against me would feel like- how our bodies would feel moulded together.

I need to stop.

Liz walks out with us to the car and once I have Casey resting comfortably in the back seat she rests her hand against my arm "Alex, you should take a couple of days off, look after her. It won't come out of your holidays- consider it sick leave"

I'm shocked, I was going to ask Liz to take some days out of my holiday time so I could stay with Casey and make sure she got a little better- I didn't think she'd offer up sick leave?! Hell, let's not dispute her, just thank her, leave and count your blessings.

"Thanks Liz, don't worry I'll take good care of her"

She smiles knowingly "I know you will- you're a great.. friend"

I notice her hesitation, she wouldn't know. She couldn't know.

"What's that meant to mean?" I lower my voice at the risk of Casey hearing the conversation and the blondes eyes shine, a teasing shine though- it doesn't look like one of happiness

"Oh please Alex, I'm not a fool and I don't like being regarded as one. The way you look at that woman tells me everything- you care about her more than you're letting on and that's fine with me, but holding in feelings like that will break you down eventually" she pauses meeting my eyes "you really should tell her, she feels the same"

"Of course she doesn't-" I attempt to put her off but Liz scoffs, rolling her eyes

"For a smart woman you're incredibly dense"

"Thank you" I say sarcastically, scowling slightly "that's a lovely way to speak to your employee-"

"Oh Alexandra, just take her home- think about what I said at least. Have a little bit of faith in a woman much older and wiser than you"

I chuckle and sit into the drivers seat of my car "Well, you're certainly older- not sure about wiser though" I joke very obviously or else I'd be on permanent leave from work

"Oh ha-ha Alex- just go" she turns to walk back into the courthouse and I stop her with a call of her name

"Uh.. Thanks, ya know, for calling me and everything. I'm happy to take care of her"

She waves and I drive away, heading towards my own apartment- I can take Casey home later but right now I have no clue where her keys are and I'm not exactly sure on directions to her place- and I refuse to wake her to ask.

As we roll up to a red light I glance back to her, checking she is still asleep and my heart feels like it's being squeezed in a vice, with every beat it physically hurts, she looks in so much pain. Her eyebrows are knotted together and her forehead is filled with pain fueled crinkles.

I need her to get better soon, I hate seeing her so unwell.


	2. Chapter 2

Casey's eyes open lazily as I lie her down into my bed "I'm sore" she mumbles and I tuck the duvet in around her then run my hand through her hair

"I'll get you something for the pain Case" I walk down to the kitchen and sigh when I notice the dampness on my fingers, she's drenched in sweat- I'll need to take her temperature too, if it's very high I might take her to a doctor. Or maybe I'll call Grace- she's a doctor friend of mine in the city. I know how much Casey hates doctors so getting some advice off Grace first might be an idea- I know Casey would fight me tooth and nail about going to the doctors or the ER.

I push all that to the back of my mind and grab the aspirin and thermometer from the drawer, fill Casey a glass of water and rush back up to her. Leaving her alone for too long scares me a little, I don't want anything to happen to her.

"Casey" I call, walking over to my bed but she doesn't respond as I'd like her to, she groans a little but keeps her eyes closed and once beside her I rest my hand against her cheek "Honey you need to wake up, I have some medicine for you"

This brightens her up a small bit, the chance of not being in pain would brighten anybody up I guess. I sit her up as carefully as I can but she still winces, the pain is really getting to her "Hopefully you'll feel a little better after this" I attempt to comfort as I place the first pill on her tongue and give her a mouthful of water. She swallows it down, with great difficultly, coughing as she does so and I repeat the process with a heavy heart.

"Y-You don't ha-ve to stay" she wheezes out and I scowl slightly

"Uh Case, we're at my place"

Her eyes crack open and she scans the room as best she can then nods "yeah... right"

I bite my lip, sitting on the side of my bed- she's confused, dazed at least. I need to see how high her temperature is, I mean if she's like this something must be wrong.

I grab the thermometer from my bedside locker and press my hand to Casey's cheek, waking her up a little more "Case, I want to take your temperature- I think it's a little high"

"I feel a little warm" she admits and I move closer to her, putting the thermometer into her mouth. I wait for a little while, around three minutes and pull the glass thermometer from between her lips and the number I read off scares me- 102.6.

"Case, you're burning up- bad. I need to try and cool you off" I pull the covers back on the bed and strip off her work jacket "is it alright if I get you some lighter clothes?"

She nods and I go to my wardrobe, pulling out a light pair of silk pajama shorts and a sleeveless shirt. They're the lightest clothes I have, I hope they work. Surely the aspirin will help as well.

I take off her sweat soaked white shirt and it takes everything in me not to sneak glances at her flimsily covered breasts. I'm a horrible person, this woman is in agony here, feeling like crap and all I can focus on is my idiotic feelings for her.

I pull down the sleeveless top over her midsection then get to work on her skirt. I fumble with her zipper, a tremor running through my hands- this woman is my kryptonite. Eventually I get her skirt off and the silk shorts on and she lays back down, sighing deeply.

She curls into herself and after about ten minutes she drifts into a restless sleep. I lay onto the bed beside her and notice how pale she still is, God, whatever the hell this thing is that she has is really taking it out of her.

I watch her sleeping for a few minutes then feel my own eyes slip shut, I'll have a little nap, I'm no good to Casey if I'm dead on my feet.

xx

I wake up to a loud groan and when I look beside me I see Casey folded in two, almost crying.

"Case? Casey, honey, you need to sit up" I try to tell her but she shakes her head against the pillow

"C-Can't" another groan of pain and her face goes from a ghostly white to a sickly green in a second "I-I thi-nk I'm gonna b-be sick"

I grab the trashcan from my side of the bed and prop her against it, giving her the chance to be sick into it if she needs to be- and it turns out she does. She's puking up so much and I bite my lip, I need to get her to the bathroom, maybe the coolness of the room will help and she can be sick into something that isn't likely to overflow.

"Case, I know it's tough but you think you could come into the bathroom for me?"

I walk around to her side of the bed and let her lean against me, looping one arm around my shoulder while the other hugs the trashcan close

She gets to the toilet and drops to her knees in front of it, still gagging and retching but nothing except acid comes up. She's gotten everything up she possibly can.

I saw no sign of the tablets actually, maybe we were asleep long enough that they managed to do their job? I'll have to check her temperature again and make an informed decision. In the morning I'll probably need to call Grace and talk this out with her, see what medicine I can get her to make her a little better because she really doesn't seem much improved at all since I got her back here.


	3. Chapter 3

I sigh as I listen to Grace tell me Casey needs to go to the hospital, I have no clue how I'm going to break this to her. She cannot stand hospitals, doctors anything like that, so telling her this will not make me her favorite person in the world

"-there's a risk she'd get dehydrated, if she's not keeping her medication down there's no chance of her getting better, in hospital she could have medication and fluids intravenously. She needs to be here to get better Al"

I nod, she's right, of course she's right.

"Okay Grace, thanks so much for talking to me about this. I'll take her to the hospital then" I run my hand through my hair as I hang up the phone, Casey's going to hate this. She's going to fight me over this but it is for her own good. I'll need to be strong for her.

"Case" I go to the side of her bed and touch my fingers to her clammy cheek "I talked to a friend of mine, a doctor, and she says that you should really go to the hospital. There's a chance you'll get dehydrated and if you keep being sick the aspirin won't be working"

A scowl creases her brow and I sit in beside her, running my hand over her side

"I know you aren't happy about it but if you're going to feel better you'll need to go. Will you come?"

She nods, to my surprise, and pulls herself up in bed. I notice today her movements are improved but the vomiting is worse. She was awake for most of last night being sick and I tried my best to comfort her. At one point she lay against me and I wrapped my arms around her. It felt so right holding her.

She walks out of the bedroom in front of me, swaying slightly on her weak legs. She hasn't eaten in at least twenty four hours so it's no wonder she's a little weak. I take my opportunity to feel her close to me and wrap my arm around her waist "You look a little unsteady Case"

"I feel really sick Al" she moves her free arm around her stomach

"I know, you're still a little pale. When you get some stronger medicine I'm sure you'll feel much better" I comfort her and she squeezes my arm

"I-I really needed a friend, you're so good to me- thank you for being around"

I shake my head and smile softly at her "Casey, you'd do the same for me if I was sick- anyway, you should be happy I'm here instead of Liz"

"Liz?" Casey gives a small, rough laugh "why would Liz be here?"

"She was the one who called me and she said she'd take you home but you'd probably prefer me"

She nods "Well she got that right, I definitely prefer you"

I feel a lightness in my heart at what she said, she may mean it in a friendly way but it's still sweet and lovely to hear.

It seems a little like flirting if I'm honest but I brush it off, of course she's not flirting with me, she's sick- she's a friend.

We get down to the car and Casey sits into the passenger seat and I into the drivers seat. I drive her to the ER and the closer we get the more I notice the colour change in her face, she's not as pale as before but she's gone green again

"You gonna be sick again Casey?" I ask as I pull off to one side and just as she gets the door open she retches and vomits- trying to puke up what's in her stomach. Nothing's coming up anymore, she's just gagging. Before this there was water or general stomach juices but now she's just bringing up nothing.

I rub her back soothingly as she continues the horrible retching and after around ten minutes her stomach rests and she collapses against the chair "You think we'll be able to go now?" I ask and she nods

"Sorry I held us up-"

"You didn't. You sure you're able to keep going?"

"Yeah, yeah- I'm good. Thanks Al"

xx

"Novak?" The doctor calls and I get to my feet, following the dark haired man down the hospital corridor

"She's okay?" I ask, knowing of course she is, she walked in here and she'll walk out- I'm just worried.

"She's caught the stomach virus that's going around but she should be okay- we have her on a drip and we've given her some medication to ease her vomiting- she should start to feel a little better soon, and by tomorrow she should be brighter"

I sigh, relieved that she'll start to feel a little better. I hate seeing her in such a bad way "Can I see her?" I ask the doctor who nods and leads me down to her room

"She'll probably sleep a lot, she's pretty exhausted. Don't worry"

I smile and shake his hand as I walk into Casey's room. I see her, peacefully fast asleep against the hospital pillow and even now I can see she looks a little better, some of the colour is back in her cheeks

I pull up a chair by the side of her bed and smile to myself, I'm so glad she's not hurting anymore. She's finally getting a peaceful sleep.

My cell buzzes in my pocket and I smile seeing the caller ID "Hey Liz, how're you?"

"I'm fine Alex, and you? How's Casey?" She asks and I sit up in the chair, trying to think of the best way of putting this without worrying Liz too much

"Casey's.. in the hospital, we both are" I tell her and I hear her deep sigh

"Is she okay? She's very bad if she's there I assume"

"She's.. better here than she has been at my place. Oh Liz, she really hasn't been well, she's been up all night vomiting, burning up- I knew I needed to take her in"

Liz hums approvingly "Well Alex, I'm glad you're taking such good care of her. I knew I did the right thing calling you. Did you think any more about what I said to you?"

I close my eyes and run my hand over my face "Jesus Liz, it's nearly all I thought about. She's been on my mind constantly-"

"Are you in love with her Alex- honestly?"

I'm shocked by her question, of everything she could've asked I wasn't really expecting that.

How do you answer that? She's my best friend- God, I love her more than anything- but I don't know if anything could ever happen-

"-Alex? You still there?"

"Uh, y-yeah, Im here" I stutter out "Yeah Liz, I am- but I'm not going to do anything about it yet, maybe when things get better but not now"

"Fine- don't wait too long though Alex"

"I won't.. just give me a little time"


	4. Chapter 4

"Alex" I hear her ask and I jump to my feet, seeing her looking a little worriedly around the room

"Hey, are you okay?" I sit onto the side of the bed and she calms a little

"Sorry, yeah- I'm good. Just forgot they kept me here for a second" she's smiles sheepishly and I smile back

"How're you feeling anyway? You slept for nearly 12 hours Case and you look a whole lot better" I note and she nods, blinking away the sleep from her eye

"Yeah, my stomach is still a little weak but I don't feel as groggy" she sits up and slips her hand into mine "Alex, can I just tell you now that I'm not actually invading your apartment you can leave me- I feel better now and well you can't miss lots of work.. You can go Alex"

All I can focus on is her hand in mine, I nearly miss what she's saying- I can go? Why would I go anywhere. She's in hospital, I'm hardly going to abandon her in here.

"I-I- no. I'm not leaving you here, you wouldn't leave me, would you?"

She looks me over then nods "Thanks Al, I-I appreciate it"

"And you know you weren't invading my apartment, right? I brought you there Casey so I could keep an eye on you while you were ill"

She smiles a lot brighter than I've seen her smile in a while "Well I appreciate it- I really do. I'll take you out for drinks some night, ya know as payback for this"

I nod, squeezing her hand than letting it go "That sounds great. Now, I hope you don't mind but I need to run to the bathroom and I'm gonna grab myself a coffee- I'll be back soon, alright?"

"That's fine Alex"

I walk down stairs to the café and pick up a coffee and a newspaper for myself and then I notice a drink in the fridge, some vitamin shot thing. Maybe that'd help Casey a little bit?

I grab the drink from the fridge and pay from the three items before sitting into one of the café tables to enjoy my coffee.

I'm there for two minutes when I decide to go back upstairs, I don't like sitting down here by myself, at least upstairs I have someone to talk to.

I take my coffee, Casey's drink and the newspaper and walk back towards the hospital room. I'm really glad Casey's feeling a little better today.

-She even offered to take me for drinks! Drinks! With every conversation that we have the thought I have that my feelings for her are reciprocated grow bigger. I don't know, maybe I'm looking a little too much into innocent friendliness?

Why do feelings have to be so complicated?

"Hey, that was quick" she rolls over to face me and I shrug

"Didn't like sitting down in that café alone with you up here- you're far better company than any of then down there- oh and I got you this"

I hand her the bottle I grabbed down in the café along with my coffee and she bites her lip, her eyebrows lowering "Um, this is very.. sweet.. of you Al- what is it?"

"Some orange and pineapple crap- but look" I smile pointing to the label on the bottle "it's full of all these amazing vitamins and stuff. It'll surely help you feel better"

She opens the bottle and smiles as she takes a drink. I watch her, she doesn't look all that disgusted by it, I smile giving myself a pat on the back, I did well.

She hums in approval, reading over the label again "That's actually really good Alex- thanks"

"Wow" I laugh, sitting into the chair by her bed "I was just stabbing in the dark I didn't think it'd actually be nice- you're welcome"

xx

The dark haired doctor walks in, smiling that night and I notice Casey's eyes light up as he starts talking

"Miss Novak? Your temperature is back regular, you're managing to keep solids down- I think you can go home tomorrow if things are still the same" I smile as Casey sits up in bed, smiling too "we'll need to give you some medication to take home, and that should clear up the end of the stomach virus"

"So I can leave tomorrow then?" She's so eager and excited, I'm glad they've managed to help her.

"Yes, permitting you're still like this you can leave. You managed to keep your dinner down today- which is a challenge at the best of times with this hospital food" he chuckles and I laugh inwardly remembering Casey's reaction to the dinner earlier- she really was not happy but she ate it "things look much improved and if you take the medication we give you things should look a lot better"

"Thank you so much Doctor Hill"

"I'm glad to see you feeling better" he scribbles something onto Casey's chart and excuses himself

Once he's gone Casey gets out of bed, dragging the pole holding her IV with her and when she gets over to me she pulls me in close "Thank you for bringing me here, as much as I hate hospitals this place made me feel not like death"

My heart's thumping out of my chest as she holds me close to her, is it so bad for me to want this on a personal level? I want to be able to kiss her and hold her- love her.

She's just so beautiful, so perfect.

I need to woo her before I attempt making a move, I can't just jump right in.

I need to show her how much I care about her before I try anything.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back home, alone, in my apartment which now seems so huge and lonely without another person around. I really miss Casey, it was nice to have her here the last few days- even if she wasn't well, it was still company.

I dropped her off a few hours ago and she noticed my hesitation before driving away and even invited me to come up and have some coffee. I told her I was fine, but I was a little worried about how she'd be feeling later. She smiled that beautiful smile of hers and assured me she'd be fine and she'd probably crash when she got inside anyway because she felt pretty exhausted.

I'm tired too but I'm still a little worried about her, that's probably why I can't sleep. -Jeez I'm even loosing sleep over her now, I really need to ease up a little don't I? I'm coming off a little stalker-ish.

It's not my fault I'm in love with her.

I check my bedside clock, it's 11pm, that's not too late, I could text at least and make sure she's alright..

I grab my cell and quickly type a friendly message, double checking she's okay and hit send. She's probably asleep, the odds of getting a reply at this time of night, especially with her just out of the hospital-

My phone dings in my hands, making me jump. She replied?

'Yeah, can't really sleep either Al, I'm fine though, you shouldn't worry about me, sleep :) x'

I smile reading the text message, then I hit call, I mean she's awake so why not?

"Hey Al" her voice is soft, honestly quite tired sounding, I'm astounded she isn't asleep.

"Hi, you sound absolutely wrecked Casey" I tell her as I check the clock again, 11:10pm "I imagined you'd be passed out in bed by now"

"So did I" she sounds unimpressed with still being awake "I think I'm missing the company to be honest Al, I'd gotten so used to talking to you before I slept.. I don't know- what I'm trying to say is I miss you"

She misses me! She likes me being around! I'm so glad I made this phone call!

"Yeah I know how you feel, I was lying here wondering if it was a good idea to text or not- I had gotten into the habit of checking to see if you were okay before I fell asleep and I couldn't.."

"Do you wanna come over?" Casey asks, inviting me to her apartment for the second time in 24 hours. God, I'd love to come over! There's nothing if love more than to come over "-I mean, I miss you, you miss me- come stay, just for tonight"

"Okay!" I sound far more eager than I should but I am excited to see her "I'll see you soon okay?"

"Yeah, see you then Al"

xx

I knock unsteadily on her apartment door and within a minute she's standing in front of me, smiling softly and ushering me in the door "You're here" she pulls me into a hug and I smile against her

"I am. Have you been sick since you got home?" I ask as we sit I to the living room couch together and she shakes her head

"Nah, I'm as strong as an ox now" she pats her stomach and I chuckle

"Well that's a relief" I smile and she walks to the kitchen, coming back with a bottle of wine "-woah, hey things are good, drinking that cannot improve anything"

"It's not for me idiot" she raises the single glass in her grasp "it's for you- consider this the start of my payback drinks"

"You sure you wouldn't rather sleep?" I have to offer, I mean, she must be really tired

"Nah, c'mon Ally don't be a spoil sport" I laugh and roll my eyes as I raise my hands

"I'm good being here, I'm only concerned for you- clearly your good, so what should we do then?" I ask and she gestures to a stack of movies by the DVD player

"Let's start there"

xx

A movie and a bottle of wine later things are giggly, despite Casey being alcohol free.

I don't know what the hell is going on in my head but I'm so tempted to just kiss her. Lean in and kiss her. What happened to wooing her? Romancing her?

I really need to cool it on the alcohol don't I? I mean, it's only one bottle, I'm not exactly smashed but there's a strong buzz. When there's strong buzzes I'm not in full control

I blink harshly, sorting out my head a little. Kissing her now like this would be a mistake. Just smile and nod along Alexandra. Pull it together.

"-can I ask you something?" I catch the end of Casey's sentence and I nod

"Anything"

"Would it be completely wrong of me to maybe kiss you right now?"

Wait- did she actually just say that? She-she wants to kiss me?

I sit, looking astounded at her and when my brain finally catches on I initiate contact, passionately crashing our lips together.

Her hand bunch in my hair, tugging gently and I moan against her lips. After a minute breathing becomes an issue and we break apart

"That felt so..good" she bites down on her lip and I nod in agreement

"It really did"


	6. Chapter 6

I roll over, squinting slightly- where the hell am I? I jump up in bed when I spot her red hair sprawled out on her pillows

Oh Christ what did I do?

I look down my own body and I'm immediately very aware that I'm not in any underwear- why is my underwear off? I mean, I have- I lift the duvet and check myself over- I assume what are some of Casey's pajamas on me

Okay, maybe I just got changed? I mean I came over here to keep her company, it's no wonder I'm in her bed.

-we kissed.

Oh I drank too much wine. How could I just kiss her like that? She asked something about it, that I remember, I was trying to hold back but she asked. How was I expected to resist that?

That kiss was really something special though!

I can still woo her from here on out.

I look her sleeping form over, she looks so beautiful even in her sleep. I run my hand over her cheek and she curls in closer to me, her arms looping around my waist. I don't know how one touch from her sets my heart soaring.

"You're a little spaced out there Al"

I tense a little at her words, then I smirk "Just thinking about how you lured me here to take advantage of me last night"

She chuckles as she runs her hand up to my neck "Well I'm sorry about that but I don't exactly see you running out the apartment door"

"I'm kinda comfortable, running just seems like too much effort" she moves impossibly closer to me and I feel a tightness in my chest at her touch- oh this feels so good! Why didn't I kiss her sooner! Do this, I mean, lying here with her is the most comfortable I've been in a long time.

"So that's the only reason you're staying?" She raises an eyebrow playfully and I squint, raising my eyebrow too with fake indecisiveness

"That.. and well the beautiful redhead beside me" I wink and smile inwardly- very smooth. I like this side of myself, the side when I'm with her. She makes me feel even better about myself.

Casey blushes as bright as her hair then laughs against me "Well Alexandra you certainly do know how to make a woman feel good"

I push a few stands of her hair behind her ear and smiles warmly "I try"

There's a comfortable silence between us both for a while, all I feel is her breath against my neck and it makes me smile. This is amazing and I don't even know how this actually happened- we kissed but we haven't talked about anything. Maybe we should do that? I don't want to put too much pressure on her or anything..

Wow, this is confusing.

She just went for it last night with suggesting we kiss, maybe I need to follow her lead? Yeah, okay- talk. Move your mouth, say words. C'mon, she's your friend, it's okay to actually speak to her.

"Casey.. what're we doing?" I ask bluntly and she pulls back and sits cross-legged, facing me

"Uh.. um.. yeah.. well we kissed" she blushes again and I bite my lip to hold back my laugh- she's so cute when she's all nervous "I-I.. need you to talk because I can't" she let's out a deep breath and I shake my head, squeezing her thigh gently

"Casey, you really need to breathe more- when I asked that I didn't mean to put loads of pressure on you" I smile to attempt to reinforce my point "I need you to know that I really do care about you- I'd like to date you if I'm honest but before last night I didn't even think you had feelings for women?"

"Until you I didn't think I had either" she admits and I see a flash of vulnerability in her eyes- huh, maybe I should press a little on that?

"I don't understand.."

I understand perfectly but I needed to say something to help her open up a little to me.

"I.. okay, I've had a few relationships- my main one was with Charlie, as you know-" she'd went into detail before about her relationship with Charlie and how she felt in that position- honestly it was hard to hear that she struggled through that mans abuse just because she was so madly in love with him, she thought she could change him "but Alex, I feel something with you, I-I've never felt with anyone before.. even Charlie"

"I-I.. wow Case, that's- thank you"

I can't believe she'd tell me something like that, she really trusts me.

I smile and raise her chin using my index finger "That was so sweet to hear Casey- and I feel the same. For a long time now I've felt this way about you- I never imagined this would be how I'd be telling you all this- I wanted to romance you, make you feel special before I made a move or anything- you're really important to me and I'd really like us to try and see what can happen with us"

Her tongue wets her dried lips, a sign she's nervous maybe and after hesitation she nods "I'd really like that too but Alex you have to know- I've never been in a relationship with another woman so I have no clue what I'm doing-"

"You have all the time in the world to sort that out in your head Casey. I said it earlier and I mean it- there's no pressure on you whatsoever. We can just see what happens, where this goes, okay?"

I don't really know if my words are offering her any comfort, she still looks kinda on edge

I smile and move in close to her, chastely pressing my lips to hers "Please don't look so worried. This will be fine Casey"

She nods, beaming back at me "Ya know, you're right, this will be fine" she pulls me into her lap and kisses me again, this kiss however is not so chaste, it's as hot as last nights kiss if not hotter.

I can already tell, things will go really well between us.

xx

"Please, please come out for these drinks" she almost begs me and I roll my eyes before looking up at her

"Casey, we can go for dinner or something if you'd like but you're still on your antibiotics and I don't want to be the only one drinking on our drinks night- let's just wait until you're feeling better"

"You seemed weird at first about drinking last night too. Why do you need the people around you to be drinking too?" she ask and I grit my teeth a little, I thought I covered that up a little better than I obviously did.

"Well, uh, if everyone around you is drinking and you say or do something stupid they'd be more likely to laugh it off if they've had a drink than if they hadn't"

She nods, pinning her loose red hair up into a neat bun "That's actually a really good point.. But it's you, I'd never tease you too much on anything" her small smirk and her words put me a little more at ease about the drinking thing, I don't know where that came from but I always thought it was best to be in the company of people at the same level of inebriation as you, for your own comfort.

I hate the idea of being judged by how I act when I've had a drink.

See people's moods change once they've had one too many drinks, some people get happier, some cry, some go quiet- I get argumentative. I hate it so I tend to cut back on the amount of drinking I do- a few are okay, I'm relatively alright but after that one, after I climb up on that ledge I kinda have to fall down- and deal with all the destruction I've caused afterwards, when I'm back on my feet.

I know my limits and I'm good at staying within them. I never drink too many unless I'm not in complete control or something's off with me.

"Well, I really appreciate it" I smile and stand off the couch "okay, let's go out- but I will need to stop home and pick out a nice outfit"

"C'mon, I'll drop you on the way"

AN: Hey! Thanks for all the support! I just want to let you know that I mightn't be able to update again for a couple of days because I'm working for my Dad as well as my job so I don't have much writing time. I'll update when I can- thanks for sticking with the story :)


	7. Chapter 7

The music in this place is that loud the ground is thumping beneath us both. Normally I hate places like this, places where you can't have a decent conversation with people but tonight, here, with Casey it's like there's electricity in the air.

She orders us a drink from the bar and we slip into a booth, one furthest from the dance floor so we can talk a little bit "This place is nice" I tell her taking a mouthful of my white wine and she nods

"It is- I come here a lot, it's a place where you can really let your hair down"

I raise an eyebrow, I want to know more about this side of Casey Novak- the fun loving, clubbing side of her "So out tough as nails ADA comes clubbing regularly then?"

"I do- most weekends. I'm tellin' ya Alex, it's a great way to blow off steam! The dancing is just so much fun! You'll need to dance with me" she winks taking another drink of her orange

I smile and shake my head "Oh Case, I'd only embarrass you"

"Why?" She laughs lightly

"Well, uh, I'm about as agile as a plank of wood"

She takes my hand under the table "Bet you're an amazing dancer of you got into it"

I laugh harder, dipping my head in an attempt I hide the blush covering my cheeks "Jesus Case, you've never seen me dance- it's not good"

"Okay, c'mon" she leads me away from the table and to the dance floor and I swear the closer I get to it the more tense I'm getting. The music is pounding when we stand onto the dance floor and her hands move to my hips

"Move" she she guides my hips into a rhythm and treasure the feeling of her body so close to mine. I blow out deep breath as I make an attempt to fight against my building arousal- ugh she's running her hands from my hips to the sides of my breasts and down again, it's driving me crazy! She's driving me crazy!

I'm still tense but I've somehow managed to loosen up a little bit. She smiles proudly as she pulls me closer and I wrap my arms around her "Now you're getting it!"

"Am I?" I laugh and she nods.

This is so amazing, I usually never dance for anybody! This is literally the most dancing I've done since I was like ten or eleven?

The beat dies in the music as the song draws to a close and she presses her lips to mine. Her hands basically claw at my back as she pulls me tight, breaking our kiss "Wow" I hear over the baseline of the new song and I bite my lip

"You're right, dancing is fun"

xx

"Case, don't buy me another drink" I tell her as she finishes down her orange, I bought the last drinks so I assume she'd offer now to do the same. I can't have another, I've had a good few big glasses and I don't want to go overboard. It's not that I have an alcohol problem, honestly, it's more caution on my on behalf. I hate my mood change when I've drank too much, the lawyer side of me makes an appearance only it's uglier. I lash out at everyone, people I care about- strangers. Ask Abbie, I turn into a proper bitch- she'd know she's witnessed it enough.

"You done?" she asks, double checking and I nod

"I've had enough"

I'm an angry drunk, I cause arguments. I dig holes for myself that I really can't pull myself out of and I don't want to be like that around Casey.

"You want an orange or anything like that?" she asks and I smile and nod

"I'd love one, thanks Casey- now if you'll excuse me I need to use the restroom"

She walks to the bar as I slip out a side door to the corridor with the restroom at the end. Tonight has been really nice, I'm glad I agreed to come out with her- I'm glad she suggested we kiss last night- I'm glad Liz called me when Casey first got sick.

Wow, it's really funny isn't it, how things work out? Imagine if last week Liz didn't call. What would I be doing right now if she hadn't? I'd be at home still imagining ways that I could attempt to tell Casey how I feel for her.

Imagine if I didn't text Casey and she didn't invite me over last night.

I've never stopped to think that all the seemingly unimportant decisions we make are actually huge. We can't go back if one path we take doesn't work out, there's no u-turns when it comes to things like that.

Look at me, turning into a psychologist.

I walk into the darkened bathroom and when I arrive in I'm met with a familiar face "Hey Southern Comfort" I tease and her brunette locks flick away from her eyes, letting her see my smiling face

"Alexandra Cabot, as I live and breathe! Now what would a woman of your standards be doing in a club like this?" she laughs and I walk over and lean against the sink where's she's re-applying some make up

"Well, I'm actually on a.. date-type thing"

"Has blondie turned into a little cougar and bagged herself some play girl?" she drawls and I chuckle, how wrong she is

"She is slightly younger than me but I'd cool it on the cougar thing hon', it's Casey"

Her eyes widen and she drops her mascara down into the sink in front her "You're shitting me! Novak! You got Novak- well you lucky bitch!"

"Wow feeling the love Abs, the happiness for your friend is just radiating from you- it's actually refreshing" I say sarcastically and she scoffs

"Oh please, give me a break here, have you seen that woman she's gorgeous! And if she's as fiery in the sack as she is in the courtroom you're in for a treat! Let me be jealous, just for a teeny minute"

I roll my eyes, nothings changed with Abbie obviously, my friend is the exact same as she was when we first met at 20.

"Fine- anyway, I'll need to go and then get out of here, Casey will think I fell into the damn toilet! That's a nice impression to give on our first date"

"Oh yea' you wouldn't wanna keep that woman waiting- can I just say though Al, I'm really happy for you- it's obvious you felt something for her, I'm glad you stepped up"

I slip her cell from her purse resting on the side counter and enter in my email address "Do me a favor? Email me tomorrow, we need to set up some lunch together"

"Email? Can't I just text-"

"Do you think I have money in my cell? I swear, I only use that for work- I'd much rather email"

"Fine, I'll mail ya'- you sure that's old fashioned enough or would carrier pigeon be acceptable too?"

I shake my head, walking towards the stall "See ya 'round Abs"

"Bye blondie- say hello to your woman for me"


	8. Chapter 8

"Well hello" Casey smiles at me from our office door and I walk over to her, giving her a hug and a peck on the cheek "you alright?" she asks and I nod

"Fine- just happy to see you. How're you?"

She sits in behind her desk and flips open a file but then turns back to me "I'm good, finished my antibiotics this morning so you can take me for a drink whenever you like now"

I smirk "Deal- as long as I don't have to dance again"

"Oh baby you'll be dancing again, after last night you'll definitely be dancing again- anyway, I don't understand why you're so against it, you weren't bad" she begins working on her file and I follow suit, it's Friday and I don't want to be working on files over the weekend

"Casey, sure I moved a little more than I usually do but Christ you can't actually say I was good at dancing" I laugh and she smirks, shrugging

"I thought you were good-"

A knock on the door interrupts our light hearted chat and Liz appears, smiling a little "How are the office lovebirds getting along?"

Casey rolls her eyes "We're fine Liz"

"Oh Casey, it's only a little teasing, I'm glad you're both together" Liz hands her a manilla folder "here- it's the report from the Jackson case- I reviewed it, you did some great work on that Casey"

"Thanks Liz" the happiness is shining in her eyes at the praise

"No problem- I'm actually here for something else, Cragen called, SVU have another case- one of you will need to get over there" she tells us and we both nod

"I'll go" Casey offers grabbing her briefcase and smiling softly "I'll be back for lunch, alright?"

I squeeze her hand before she leaves and once Liz and I are left alone she sits in across from me "I was hoping you'd stay"

"You make it sound like we're having an affair" I chuckle and Liz shakes her head

"With all due respect Alexandra, you aren't my type- as I was saying, I'm glad you did stay, I need to talk to you about Casey"

"What about Casey?" I become a little worried but Liz smiles, reassuring me things are alright

"Did you tell her you love her?"

I shake my head "Not yet, we've only dated- wait, how exactly did you find out I'd said anything to Casey?"

She laughs, dropping her head back "I have an informant"

"It wouldn't happen to be Abbie Carmichael would it?"

I emailed Abbie this morning and she said she wanted to meet Casey and I for lunch today. I talked to her a bit more about Casey and my feelings for her, I wouldn't be a little bit surprised if Abbie and Liz were talking about the new office romance.

"Maybe"

xx

"Jesus- are you okay? Casey what happened to your eye!" I shoot out of my chair and over to the drained woman walking in the office door and she pulls away from my attempt to touch her swollen eye

"Things got a little rough with a woman in interrogation- Liv and I were trying to tag-team her a little and I touched a nerve- is it really that bad?" She asks chuckling a little and I nod

"It looks like it hurts like a bitch"

"It'll be fine, it's not bruised or anything is it?" She asks and I grab a compact from my purse and hold it up for her- her eye is swollen and a little red but manageable "Ah I've had worse, I'll put on some foundation before lunch and the swelling will go down a bit more"

"Was the case worth this then?" I gesture to her eye and that makes her smile

"It was if I'm honest- anyway, it's all kinda open-shut now we have our confession.. Hey we better get going if we wanna meet Abbie for lunch" I smile as I notice her smile

"I haven't seen Abbie in a while, I'm glad we're meeting up with her"

xx

Casey pours me another glass of wine that night and I bite my lip

"I shouldn't" I tell her and she scowls as I push away the glass. She shifts of the couch and intertwines our fingers

"You know it's alright to have more than four or five good glasses of wine? You're able to be comfortable with me- especially on the weekend" she smiles and I take a deep breath, fidgeting a little

"Okay, well I guess I'll need to tell you this eventually- once I've had one too many I get kinda angry"

She looks very confused "Angry?"

"Argumentative- it's just not pretty Casey so I watch how much I drink. I don't want to go too overboard and get.. nasty, alright? That's why I count drinks"

She nods, slipping her hand into mine "Ya know you coulda said something sooner? I mean, none of us are on form when we've had a few.."

"I'm sorry, I know I should've said sooner but.. I was a little apprehensive about talking about it. I didn't want to chase you off"

She laughs a little, squeezing my hand "Oh Al, it'll take a lot more than that to chase me away. Ya know, I really care about you, I don't care how you act when you've had a few too many, I'll reign you in somehow babe"

"Reign me in?" I raise an eyebrow suggestively "now that sounds like a lot of fun"

"Well that's me, barrel of laughs" her hand snakes around my back to the hem of my shirt and I hum in approval of her touch

"Uh, how about we go in there" I nod to her bedroom and she smiles, nodding

"I was just about to ask the same thing"

I smile inwardly as we walk to the bedroom, I honestly don't know how this happened. She's so amazing, so sweet- I'm so lucky to have her! To think, all this started from me looking after her when she was sick!

From that night in her apartment when we kissed everything just clicked, fell right into place. How often do you get so lucky? Fall in love with your best friend and for them to actually feel the same! It's so rare and I guess that's what makes it so special.

I'm one lucky woman aren't I?

**_The End (with an Epilogue to follow) _**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Epilogue- 1 year later_**

"You ready?" Casey asks as her arms loop around my waist and I spin around in her hold, pressing our lips together

"I'm very ready my beautiful girl"

She blushes at my compliment and I kiss her again, one she moans into- but we need to cut short if we want to get to Elliot's barbecue in time

"Baby, w-we need to not do this now if we wanna be on time" I mumble against her ear and she moves her lips down my neck

"Would it be so bad if we were that little bit late?"

I don't stop her kissing down my neck and over my breasts but I let out a deep breath and push her back, smirking

"Yes darling, it would be so bad if we were late- they all expect us at 5pm"

She regretfully pulls back and runs her hand over her now slightly crumpled dress "Okay, you're right, let's go"

I smile and kiss her again "We can last until later tonight baby"

"Yeah I guess" she sounds a little down and I roll my eyes, pulling her back in tight to me

"Okay, I'll even give you a little treat later if you're really good tonight at this barbecue- alright?"

She growls against my ear, very happy with my little offer "Deal Alexandra"

xx

"Hey Southern Comfort" I call when I see Abbie making up a burger and chatting to Elliot and she spins around smiling

"Our legal dream team have arrived!"

Casey let's my hand drop and pecks my cheek as Abbie walks towards us

"I'm gonna get us a drink baby, you'll have a wine?" I nod and she walks to where Kathy has set up a drinks station and Abbie smirks pulling me into a hug

"Casey looks... wow Al! Seriously, I'll tell you now like I told you that night in the club, you're one lucky woman!"

I nod, biting my lip as I watch her move, the blood-red dress clinging to her in all the right places "She is the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on"

"The most beautiful woman you've ever laid in general-"

I glare at her and she picks up on the look, smirking a bit

"You know I'm right Alex, she's the best thing that's ever happened to you!" Abbie tells me and I nod in agreement

"I know. Hey, how's the woman front with you? Anybody you wanna tell me about?" I ask as I slip Abbie's wine from her hand and take a mouthful of it

"Nah, no one" I notice her small glances over towards a rather stunning looking Olivia

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow "because if I didn't know any better I'd say you had a little thing for Detective Benson"

I nod towards Olivia who's getting herself a drink "Why don't you go for it Abs? I mean, Liv is really sweet and beautiful- if you like her you might as well"

"You think she'd.. like me?" the southern woman looks terrified and I smile softly at her

"What's the harm in trying?- Liv's your friend, the worst she can say is no" She nods and drinks down the rest of her wine

"Okay- I can do this. Hey Al, thanks a lot"

I pat her back as she walks over to Liv and when I look up I notice Casey walking back over to me, drinks in hand "Hey, sorry I got talking to Kathy- how's Abbie?"

"She's going to be a lot better soon"

Casey hands me my wine and wraps her arm around my waist "What do ya mean?"

"She's trying it on with Liv"

"Really! Wow Liv and Abbie... hmm.. they'd be good together"

I kiss her softly "not as good as me and you though baby, that right?"

Her hand runs along my side as she takes a mouthful of wine "That's right- so how long do we actually have to stay so we don't seem rude?.. I'm kinda desperate to get home"

"And why would be Case?"

She smirks "Well, I think you can harbor a guess- I mean, you made quite a teasing offer"

xx

Casey turns to me as she takes another mouthful of wine "tonight was actually really fun"

I nod in agreement and then I nudge her and gesture over to Liv who has Abbie pressed against the wall, making out with her

"It's been even more fun for them two" I note and Casey laughs

"You did some great matchmaking there Cupid- now how about we get home and have some more fun" her hand slips under my dress and up my thigh and I kiss her and stand up

"Sure, we can go- just let me go say thanks to Kathy"

I go into the Stabler home and smile when I see Kathy in the kitchen, cleaning up a little "Hey Kath', Casey and I are heading home now- I just wanted to say thank you for tonight, we've had a great time"

"Aw I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves! El was saying for a while how he wanted to do this and it really has been a good night"

She hands me a cake wrapped in some foil "We're a big family but we won't eat all this" she gestures to cluttered table around us "anything else you'd like to take?"

I shake my head "No thanks Kath', the cake is good"

"Did I ever congratulate you on being with Casey? You two are really good together- and it's obvious you love each other"

"Yeah, we really do. I'm a really lucky woman to have her"

I am.

I wake up every morning in her arms and I thank God that last year I kissed her, I thank God that everything worked out the way it did.

She's a wonderful girlfriend and I'm sure she'll be an even better wife- when I do get around to popping the question.

I promise I won't wait as long as I did to tell her I had feelings for her.

No, I want to be able to call her my wife as soon as I can! If I can stage Abbie away from her new love maybe I'll get her to come ring shopping tomorrow? We'll have a great life together- and it all happened because of a stomach virus she caught last year!

That's a story to tell the grandkids!


End file.
